Rachel Allen

Madelamingtons

26 January 2013

Post image for Madelamingtons

As an Australian married to a Frenchman, could there be a more perfect cake to represent the union of our two cultures than the madelamington, a French madeleine dressed up as an Australian lamington? No, I didn’t come up with this name, but I am rather disappointed that I didn’t coin this term myself. In fact, as a frequent baker and consumer of madeleines and lamingtons, I wonder how the idea of marrying these two cakes had never occurred to me.

It was precisely this recipe in Rachel Allen’s new book, Cake, which prompted me to buy the book. Not that I really needed a recipe – I could have used my go-to madeleine recipe and the chocolate icing from my lamington recipe. But the idea of the madelamington itself was so cute that I was sold on the book.

{Continue reading…}

{ 38 comments }

Apple and Walnut Cake

26 October 2012 38 comments
Thumbnail image for Apple and Walnut Cake

Regular readers will know that I am a big fan of Irish cook, Rachel Allen. So when her new cookbook, Cake, was recently released, I promptly ordered it online and eagerly awaited its arrival in my mailbox. I did secretly wonder how it would compare to her other baking handbook, simply called Bake, which I [...]

{Continue reading …}

Scones with Strawberry Jam

21 September 2012 31 comments
Thumbnail image for Scones with Strawberry Jam

On a recent trip to London, I was reminded of my fond affection for Devonshire Tea, essentially a scone served with jam and cream. In fact, my desire for a daily scone fix made me brave enough to venture into a café on my lonesome most afternoons, just so I could sit down to a [...]

{Continue reading …}

Crumpets … or something similar

15 June 2012 43 comments
Thumbnail image for Crumpets … or something similar

I had a sudden inkling to make crumpets the other day, somewhat unusual because I was only ever a mild fan of these yeasted breads when I was a child. My memories of crumpets are of the shop-bought kind which were round, thick and spongy in texture. Once lightly toasted, a generous slather of butter [...]

{Continue reading …}

Rustic Bacon & Cheddar Bread

1 May 2012 29 comments
Thumbnail image for Rustic Bacon & Cheddar Bread

I love savoury cakes and this particular recipe is a firm favourite of mine. Given my New Year’s resolution to cook more vegetarian food, this has frequently been in the form of vegetable soups. After several days of eating rich food like Meatballs in Red Wine Sauce or Boeuf Bourguignon with Baguette Dumplings, a simple [...]

{Continue reading …}

The Carrot Cake Chronicles

28 February 2012 35 comments
Thumbnail image for The Carrot Cake Chronicles

I can’t say that I have always been a fan of carrot cake. Growing up, the idea of a cake with a vegetable component didn’t sound very appealing to me. And coupled with the fact that most carrot cakes I had tried were on the dry, dense and healthy-tasting side, I couldn’t really understand what [...]

{Continue reading …}

Pumpkin Laksa

20 January 2012 19 comments
Thumbnail image for Pumpkin Laksa

I have long been a fan of Nigel Slater, his books having been instrumental in my initial forays into the kitchen, along with Nigella Lawson and, dare I say it, the Australian Women’s Weekly. One of my favourite cookbooks would have to be Appetite, a hefty book filled with amazingly delicious recipes but provided in [...]

{Continue reading …}

Waffles with Bacon & Maple Syrup

7 January 2012 17 comments
Thumbnail image for Waffles with Bacon & Maple Syrup

I had an inkling to make waffles for breakfast this morning, and upon waking to see the snow falling heavily outside, thus meaning a day of welcome indoor activity, I set about humming in the kitchen. But faced with a slight over-supply of bacon in the fridge, it was time to turn my usual waffles [...]

{Continue reading …}

Thai Sticky Chicken

24 October 2011 20 comments
Thumbnail image for Thai Sticky Chicken

This is another fabulous recipe from Rachel Allen’s Home Cooking. In fact, this was the first recipe I tried from this book. I love marinated and grilled chicken and am always on the lookout for new recipes, though I think my mum makes the best version which I have tried endlessly to recreate and which [...]

{Continue reading …}

Tomato & Rosemary Risotto with Meatballs

25 September 2011 17 comments
Thumbnail image for Tomato & Rosemary Risotto with Meatballs

Risotto always makes for a nice, comforting meal during the week. Yes, it takes a bit of time and requires a bit of stove-side attention, but I find the constant stirring to be rather relaxing, especially after a busy day at work when the time spent doing something mindless and repetitive can be rather therapeutic. [...]

{Continue reading …}

Chicken Noodle Stir-Fry

19 September 2011 14 comments
Thumbnail image for Chicken Noodle Stir-Fry

I find it rather comical that I often look to non-Asian chefs for inspiration on Asian dishes. Take Bill Granger, for example. Most of his savoury recipes are Asian-influenced and, whilst they may not correspond exactly to what is served in Chinatown, they always taste fabulous. In fact, he has a way of scaling down [...]

{Continue reading …}

Ginger & Honey Snaps

10 August 2011 11 comments
Thumbnail image for Ginger & Honey Snaps

The past week has been rather stressful for me and I have been longing for some comfort food in the form of home-baked cookies. And for some reason, ginger snap biscuits were on my mind. I’m not sure why because I haven’t eaten ginger snap biscuits since … at least 5 years ago when I [...]

{Continue reading …}

Waffles

8 August 2011 14 comments
Thumbnail image for Waffles

I have to admit that I haven’t really been into waffles until quite recently. As a child growing up in Australia, my memories of waffles were of those pre-made, pre-packaged ones sold in the bakery section of the supermarket. Not very enticing. As I grew older and acquired more stamps in my passport, I recall [...]

{Continue reading …}

Potato, Carrot & Celery Soup with Parmesan Soda Bread

24 June 2011 8 comments
Thumbnail image for Potato, Carrot & Celery Soup with Parmesan Soda Bread

I would prefer to call this Poor Man’s Dinner but the truth is that I have countless meals which go by the same name! For me, a Poor Man’s Dinner is anything that is made from bits and pieces in the fridge and pantry, or which are made from really simple and cheap ingredients. Last [...]

{Continue reading …}